Russia: Surgeon stole heroin found in stomach

MOSCOW -- Russian police say they have arrested a surgeon who stole some of the heroin he had been called on to extract from the stomach of a suspected drug mule.

Police in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk say that after investigators discovered that some of the drugs were missing, they searched the surgeon and found a packet containing 5 grams of heroin hidden in his clothing.

The surgeon, who was not identified, was under the influence of narcotics when he was apprehended, according to the police statement issued Tuesday.

If convicted of stealing the heroin, the doctor faces up to 15 years in prison. There was no information about the identity of the suspected drug mule, his travel plans or his fate.